Inevitable
by carolxdanvers
Summary: Star can't take everything away from Carol, right?


_**Author's notes: **_this takes place directly after Captain Marvel #10 (2019) and that comic series is still in works so my ideas are probably going to be extremely different. Mostly that's the point. It'll eventually be actual caroljess, but right now there's a lot of pining and angst. Ya feel?

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_What is happening! _The frightened cries of a city of people that she tried so hard to protect. That she nearly sacrificed her life for even though they disowned her as their hero. Tried to get rid of her. It almost worked, didn't it? **Thump.**

_Maybe not as smart as you think you are. _Carol's just watching Star drain the energy from the citizens she's supposed to be protecting. She can barely move even a finger. Helpless. She's not supposed to be helpless. She's Captain Marvel. Star's voice still venom in her head.

_I'm the new Captain Marvel! _Star announces to a frightened city and even somewhere in Carol's weakened state. Fading in and out of consciousness and hearing Star's taunting voice inside her dissociative mind, Carol understands one thing: Star can never be Carol. Not unless she fools Rhodey... and Jessica. Oh God, is that what Jessica thought and she let Jessica down. Jessica -

_Carol! _Jessica's angry and desperate voice. **Thump. **Carol's heart is nearly beating out of her chest. Jessica's pulling her into her arms and, of course, before Carol completely blacks out, she whispers: "You need to stop Star." Even if that means leaving her.

Carol's in and out. She heard something like a faint apology to Captain Marvel. Rhodey's hands stroking her hair, telling her they're working on it. It wasn't until Jessica's voice, loud and clear, did Carol really wake up. Massive headache, even more massive ache in her chest.

"Why couldn't you have at least told me, Carol?" Jessica's voice was laced with concern, sadness dripping from lips. Carol opens her mouth to give a sarcastic reply but her throat is a little too dry at the moment to give anything else but a squeak and to try and clear her throat. Jessica releases a small, relieved sigh. The back of her fingertips dance across Carol's cheek adoringly. Carol opens her eyes, squinting in the sudden brightness of the room. Blue eyes meet green eyes. Jessica's face was neutral until Carol smiled, just this quirk to the corner of her lips. Jessica frowned.

_Carol would have sacrificed herself to a city that disowned her without a second thought. Without thinking of the people that need her here_.

"No," Jessica breathes out. Her fingers fall from Carol's cheek, falling into the bedsheets on either side of Carol's head. Fingers digging into the material. Jessica's forehead leans against Carol's. "You do _not_ get to do that."

"I knew what I had to do." Carol finally answers, voice scratchy. Her hand reaches up, fingers just gently laying on Jessica's upper arm. Head peering around the other woman. She really wanted that water. Yet, before she could find some water, the room door opened slowly, Rhodey's head peeking in. He had a water bottle in his hand. The hand on Jessica's arm stretches out, palm facing towards Rhodey. The signature 'gimme' motion. Jessica removes herself from Carol, taking a step away from the bed. Rhodey handed over the bottle and Carol downed nearly half of it before she decided taking a breath was a good idea. Green eyes met blue eyes with a ferocity that even Rhodey turned on his heel and headed back out the door.

"We could have found another way. Like, I don't know, removing the thing without you having to rip it from your chest in the middle of a battle you're losing!" Carol doesn't say a word, she just stares at Jessica. Star's words suddenly cutting into her. Not as smart. Carol wasn't saying anything, mind still fuzzy and heart still heavy, she just didn't have a reply yet. Jessica's deflating, hands slapping at her sides. "Investigate, not get dead." Jessica's voice is soft again. "With Minerva's… forced help, we found a way to cut her using half of New York as her power source." Carol's eyes fell from Jessica. That faraway look in her eyes. Jessica knows that look. That's the look she's had herself, that Carol's had before. She wants to runaway. Except that Carol running away means one very important thing: she's going to space.

Jessica just didn't know how to tell Carol yet that she's tired. She wants to be supportive, like Rhodey is supportive but she's tired of trying. She wants Carol here, not there. _**She needs Carol here**_. "I'll inform you when we find a lock on Star again." Jessica doesn't even hide how defeated she sounds. One of her hands raise, wanting to reach out and push that strand of hair from Carol's face but her hand just falls again and she walks out the door. Muttering, "she's all yours," to Rhodey.

The conversation between the pair was awkward. It felt like nothing but a filler. Simple conversation. Yeah, Carol's fine. She's already itching to get out of this hospital bed. It's distant, so Rhodey finally asks: "Are you leaving after we stop Star?" Carol's lips pursed, it takes a few seconds for her to answer him. "I don't know yet. Maybe, but I can't do this. Not with everything going on. I need to figure myself out." Rhodey doesn't answer her, he just leans forward and kisses her forehead. A smile. Everything that said without the words: _whatever you need to do. I support you_.

"_**You could never replace me**_**."** Carol whispers harshly in Star's ear before grabbing the other woman and throwing her as hard as inhumanly possible. The angry conviction in Carol's voice. Jessica was calling out for Carol behind her, but Carol was already back in the air. See, that's the thing. You can't just steal Carol's best friend. You can't just persuade Jessica Drew that Carol's stupid, useless and an alien that needs to go back to her planet. It's not going to work. It just doesn't make Carol any less angry that Star just tried. Carol's propelling her body forward in a uniform without a hole in her chest. She's bringing back her fist and Star's stumbling to her feet. Carol propels her body and that fist forward. The punch clocked Star right in the side of the face, sending the other woman flying yet again. Carol right behind, yet again. Carol's charging forward, but on her feet and at normal speed. Pointer finger wagging menacingly at Star. "You can take my career, you can turn the city against me, but you can't have Jessica Drew. That's where I really draw the line." Star's not saying anything, just stumbling to her feet. Carol's fist balls again but before Carol can do anything, Jessica is landing in front of Carol. Hands held up, stepping forward to press those hands to Carol's shoulders. Steve made an appearance next, his large hands wrapping around Carol's wrists from behind, pulling her into him. They both know they're really no match, but that isn't the point. That's never the point.

"Hey, easy. Easy." Steve whispers, out of breath and still with his care.

"She wants to be you, but she's not you. She could never be you. Alright?" Carol stopped moving, no longer walking forward or trying to but her blue eyes were still on the Star struggling to get up. "Carol!" Carol's eyes switched to Jessica's green eyes. "Alright?" Carol nodded her head, but there was no conviction.

"No, I'm not." Both Steve and Jessica sigh in relief at the same time when Carol finally answers. Steve's hands fall from Carol's wrists and Jessica just leans forward. It's never really been her thing, but between the thought of Carol probably leaving for awhile and almost losing Carol - today it's her thing. Jessica's arms wrap around Carol's neck, pulling the taller woman into a hug. Carol's stiff for a second herself before her eyes closed, head turning to tuck into Jessica's neck.

"It's over with." Tony's voice makes an appearance, Tony and Steve collecting Star. Maybe he wasn't even necessarily talking to anyone in particular, but Carol nodded her head into Jessica's neck. Her arms wrap around Jessica's waist and Jessica didn't ask but suddenly they're flying back to Stark Tower. When they land, Carol finally pries herself away from Jessica and walks away. Jessica opens her mouth to protest, but what would she even say? She turns to walk back to her room and nearly collides with Rhodey. He just gives her a lopsided smile.

"Carol's back." Jessica mutters.

"I don't think she wants to see me right now." He answers.

"Why do you think that?" Jessica asks, curiously.

"She broke up with me and that usually means she's going back to space to fight those good space wars. That's her thing. I'm not going to get in the way." Rhodey answers with another smile. Reaching a hand out to pat Jessica's shoulder awkwardly before walking away. As Jessica suddenly turns to find her way to Carol's room, she thinks: _why is this time so different? Why am I stopping her this time? _Maybe she doesn't have a real reason, but the excuses are as follows: Carol's hurting from being dismissed from the Air Force, she's still healing and they have to find a way to prove that Captain Marvel is still Earth's hero. They just have to.


End file.
